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December Theme: Experiencing our Sources
This month we explore our experience of our sources.
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We speak a LOT about our 7 UU Principles – not nearly so much about our 6 UU Sources. In 2019-20, as we build toward a thriving future, our Worship focus will be the Sources we draw from … for strength, for wisdom, for comfort … and so much more.
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Be sure to pick up your magnet with this years' theme. Our wonderful Membership Committee has made them available in the sanctuary.
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Don't miss the fun-filled Celtera Fundraiser tonight!!!
Friday Nov. 22 at 7:00 PM
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Upcoming Sunday Services
All services at 10:30 AM.
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Taste and See: Meeting Wisdom Sources in Direct Experience
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Topic: Taste and See: Meeting Wisdom Sources in Direct Experience
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Description: Spiritual accompaniment is the practice to listen to and witness another person and give space to their inner aliveness and life story. In her training for this role, Trudy Grienauer is meeting wisdom sources experientially rather than intellectually. How can we "taste" more than just words in our sources?
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Service Leader: Lorian Kennedy
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** Children begin downtairs **
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** 2nd Solstice Advent Sunday: Peace **
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The Cost of Conviction
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Topic: The Cost of Conviction
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Description: We all hold beliefs and opinions - some that reach the level of conviction. When we align our actions and our beliefs, the result isn't always comfortable, or even safe. This Sunday we reflect on 'the spirit of conviction', and how it might sustain us through troubling times.
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Speaker: Reverend Anne Barker
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Service Leader: Leroy Russell
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** Children begin upstairs **
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** 3rd Solstice Advent Sunday: Joy **
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** 2nd Sunday potluck follows this service **
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** Amnesty International "Write for Rights" Write-a-thon follows this service **
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Westwood's Annual Carol Sing-a-long
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Topic: Westwood's Annual Carol Sing-a-long
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Description: Christmas is coming, and the spirit of the season is upon us. Join us for this favourite service at Westwood - our annual Carol Sing-a-long. We'll sing your favourite carols.
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Speaker: Rebecca Patterson, with our choir Harmonia
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Service Leader: Ilara Stefaniuk-Gaudet
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Musicians: Harmonia, accompanied by Sheila Killoran
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** This is an all-ages service - Children are upstairs **
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** 4th Solstice Advent Sunday: Love **
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The Heart of Winter Solstice -
Westwood Winter Solstice Service
** 7 pm December 21st - new location! **
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Topic: The Heart of Winter Solstice - Westwood Winter Solstice Service ... NEW LOCATION
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Description: Join us for a fresh expression of Winter Solstice - at an all-new location this year.
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This special service will honour the turning wheel of the year - the Winter Solstice Sabbat - with a sacred circle of song, dance, spirit & celebration ... and an actual factual fire outside!
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** The site & the service will be accessible for all ages and abilities **
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** Refreshments will be served **
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Location: SEESA - South East Edmonton Seniors Association
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9350 82 Street NW, Edmonton, T6C 2X
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Spirits of the Season
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Topic: Spirits of the Season
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Description: Join us for this special 'service in the round'. We will explore & celebrate some of the many sources, spirits & practices that Unitarian Universalists (& their friends!) draw upon at this time of year.
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Service Leader: Lorian Kennedy
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Musician: Ilara Stefaniuk-Gaudet
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** This is an All Ages Service - Children will be upstairs **
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Sources of Strength, Sources of Inspiration
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Topic: Sources of Strength, Sources of Inspiration
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Description: As the year comes to an end - we will reflect on Sources of Strength & Inspiration that have been present in our lives for the past year ... and what they might mean for us, as we head into the next.
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Speaker: Reverend Anne Barker
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Service Leader: Sara McEwan
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** Children begin upstairs **
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From the Minister's Study
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December 2019: Experiencing Our Sources
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How did it get to be December already? Suddenly we are here in the dark season – short days, full of so much to do – surrounded by emerging signs of spirit and celebration. I love this time of year, with all the sparkling lights and rosy cheeks.
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And, this year at our house, things are moving a little slower than usual, me with crunchy knees and Lori with a broken wing. What does the holiday season mean when your typical traditions need to be reimagined?
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For us, it means the same as always – but at a slower pace. Time for loved ones; time to focus on what is good and meaningful. Time for reflection, for gratitude, and for hope. And, a time of awareness … of those around us who may not experience the season with so much support, or love, or hope.
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Westwood hosts a ‘Comfort Tree’, for the four Sundays leading up to Winter Solstice, to help meet some of the needs of our immediate neighbours. Check out the Neighbour Centre’s Winter Wish List, for some ideas of needed items. And join us, for a Sunday … to help us ‘decorate’ the tree with socks and hats – all kinds of comfort.
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Our UU Sources – Westwood’s theme work for the year – bring home both the gifts of life and love, and the challenges these gifts are needed to meet. They help us to find perspective, grow depth, and rise to the needs around us – personally, within our communities, and especially for our beloved planet.
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However we each answer the many calls of this season, my hope is that we are all able to respond from a place of safety, of community, and of peace.
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Sounding Board Notes from November
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Here are some of the Highlights of the November 7, 2019 Westwood Board Meeting:
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The Board reflected on the success of last months Western Regional gathering at UCE. A very big THANK YOU goes to our president Lorian Kennedy on her important leadership role in it! Also, Kudos to the newly formed Westwood singers, the “Potty Mouths” who were a hilarious hit in their debut performance at the Saturday night Cafe.
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The Board continued discussion of going forward with our What’s Next plans.
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In addition to our December 21st Solstice gathering at the Southeast Seniors Centre, our Westwood Staff plan to conduct a Solstice Service at Westwood mid-December.
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The Board wishes to thank Casino Chair Brenda Jackson and all the volunteers who came out to work at the casino in November. It was a success!
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Our financial situation is on target currently. Our Financial Review committee has successfully completed their review of the Financial Books.
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Our new accessible washroom is now fully functioning, and fundraising for the new bathroom is on target.
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MOTION: to approve the revised CYRE job descriptions (seen in the OG, Organizational Guide, on our website).
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MOTION: To accept, with regret, the change of status from Member to Friend, of Melissa Hathaway and of David Deephouse who have recently moved to another province.
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Submitted by Susan Anderson.
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Board Meetings
The Westwood Board typically meets in the evening on the first Wednesday of the month at Westwood. The first hour is Leadership Hour, devoted to big-picture planning, followed by nuts-and-bolts business.
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Board meetings are open – you are most welcome to attend! The Board particularly invites those interested in the topic of the evening to attend Leadership Hour, after which you don’t have to stay for the business portion. The Events Calendar shows Board Meetings, but it is recommended that you confirm the meeting date and time if you plan to attend.
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2019 Write for Rights
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What can one person do? Add your voice!
Every year around International Human Rights Day on December 10th, hundreds of thousands of people around the world send a letter or an e-mail on behalf of someone they’ve never met.
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This year, all 10 global cases will focus on young people under the age of 25 who are a leading force for change.
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Bring your pot-luck lunch downstairs and write some letters (or just sign the form letters provided.)
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One of the featured cases is that of the continued pollution at Grassy Narrows First Nation.
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Arm your pens and get writing for a good cause. We will mail the letters for you again this year. Join this world wide drive against injustice and impunity!
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Westwood's Member Directory
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Each year we publish a directory with phone numbers and emails (when available) of members and friends of our Congregation. This list helps us connect with each other outside of Sunday mornings!!
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The directory is only shared with members and listed friends.
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Have your contact details changed? We are starting our Annual update of the Westwood Directory. Cassie will be circulating the existing Directory for the next 5 Sundays. Please use this opportunity to update your information or request to be included. You may also email the changes directly to Elaine in the office at info@westwoodunitarian.ca Let's all keep in touch! Questions about membership? Contact: membership@westwoodunitaran.ca
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Online Events from Canadian Unitarian Council (CUC)
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Saturday, December 7, 2019, 12:30 – 2:00 p.m. ET
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Many Canadian UU congregations struggle to find ways in which our very governance, style of organization, will reflect our values and resonate with the lives of those who engage within our communities. Join us for a conversation, beginning with two powerful stories and opening for all participants to share their ideas, experiments and questions. Our two presenters will be Mr. Sanford Osler, North Shore Unitarian Church and Rev. Jessica Rodela, Grand River Unitarian. Registration deadline: November 28.
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Social Justice Movie Night
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Dec 13, 2019 - 7:00 PM
DOUBLE FEATURE!! Invasion and Qallunaat!
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In this era of "reconciliation", Indigneous land is still being taken at gunpoint. INVASION is a new film about the Unist'ot'en Camp, Gidimt'en checkpoint, and the larger Wet'suwet'en Nation standing up to the Canadian government and corporations who continue colonial violence against indigenous people.
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This documentary pokes fun at the ways in which Inuit people have been treated as “exotic” documentary subjects by turning the lens onto the strange behaviours of Qallunaat (the Inuit word for white people).
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7:00 PM – Second Friday of each month.
Please pass the word and bring a friend!
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- Thought provoking films
- Discussion
- Refreshments
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FreeThinkers' Book Club
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Don't miss November's book club features a chat about the Little Prince. Many of you will have read this book as a child or a student, but what does it teach us as adults? Join us Nov. 27 at 7:00 PM downstairs at Westwood for a lively and learning discussion.
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The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
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An aviator whose plane is forced down in the Sahara Desert encounters a little prince from a small planet who relates his adventures in seeking the secret of what is important in life. The Little Prince first published in April 1943, is a novella, the most famous work of French aristocrat, writer, poet, and pioneering aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. The novella has been voted the best book of the 20th century in France. Translated into 300 languages and dialects, selling nearly two million copies annually, and with year-to-date sales of over 140 million copies worldwide, it has become one of the best-selling and most translated books ever published.
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January's FreeThinker Book Club is on Jan. 29 featuring:
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Justice - What's the Right Thing to Do?
by Michael Sandel
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2019 Winter Solstice
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On Saturday, December 21st, 2019 Westwood Unitarian Congregation will hold an Earth Centred service at South East Edmonton Seniors Centre (SEESA) gymnasium with a bonfire afterwards in the nearby park. We will provide our own light potluck refreshments.
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The space is accessible, has ample free parking and will allow us to welcome everyone.
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Rebecca Patterson and Colette Orieux are co-chairs of the Winter Solstice Planning Committee. Dawn Hunter (Board liaison), Rev. Anne Barker and Ilara Stefaniuk-Gaudet are also assisting.
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Other interested volunteers welcome.
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Comfort Tree Appeal
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“Westwood Comfort Tree”
Gathering Goods to Comfort our Neighbours
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During the Darkest Nights of the Year!
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~ On any of these 4 Sundays
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Nov. 24, Dec. 1, Dec. 8, & Dec. 15
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And we will use them to decorate the
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Neighbour Center Winter Wish List:
Socks: 50-100% wool socks are ideal
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Underwear Small Tarps Jackets
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Sweaters/Hoodies Thermal Underwear Dark colored
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Tampons & Pads Razors Toothbrushes & Toothpaste
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Deodorant Foot Powder Toiletries
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If you prefer to make a cash donation: <
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Special offering on December 8th ONLY
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(or leave your donation in the office door mailbox – cheques to “Westwood”,
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memo line: Neighbour Centre)
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2019-20 Endowment Fund Call for Proposals
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Application deadline: March 1, 2020
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The Westwood Endowment Trust Fund is a permanent legacy, made possible by generous donations from Westwood members and friends, administered independently of the day-to-day running of the Congregation. A portion of the income from the Fund supports projects directly related to congregational growth and development not normally funded by Westwood’s regular operating budget.
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The Fund has supported many projects including the Unitarian Campus Ministry, Westwood’s Healing Garden, a workshop to deeper congregational understanding of our Indigenous neigbours and supporting our youth to attend regional and national conferences. In 2019 the Fund supported the Social Justice Committee’s efforts to acquire the electronic display system in the sanctuary for its activities as well as others that use the sanctuary.
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For 2020, $1,000 is available – up to $500 for each of two projects.
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The Endowment Fund Trustees invite applications for grants for 2020. Applications are due by March 1, 2020.
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For further information and/or an application form, please contact one of the Trustees: Carl Ulrich, Kathyrn Caswell or Dennis Foth, endowment@westwoodunitarian.ca
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An Invitation to Halifax From the Making Waves Host Committee
Greetings from the Host Committee for Making Waves, the Canadian Unitarian Council’s National Conference taking place May 15–17, 2020 in Halifax, Nova Scotia (NS). We’re writing to suggest you combine Making Waves with a terrific vacation in Halifax and Nova Scotia. Even with only a few extra days, you can count on having a great time in Canada’s Ocean Playground.
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Here are some of the reasons to consider making a vacation out of Making Waves:
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A sophisticated oceanside city full of unique and historic sights: walk along the waterfront, see museums with exhibits on the Halifax Explosion and Indigenous art, visit the Titanic graves and the Maud Lewis house, take the ferry across the harbour to see the evening lights, visit the oldest wooden church in North America, stroll in North America’s finest Victorian Public Gardens, climb on the rocks at famous Peggy’s Cove – and much more.
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The natural beauty of Nova Scotia: sparkling ocean views, clear blue skies, craggy rocks, trees as far as the eye can see … in a province studded with quaint and historic small towns such as UNESCO World Heritage site Lunenburg,the first North American settlement Annapolis Royal and historic fort Louisbourg, plus the scenic Cabot Trail. Enjoy many other hiking trails, bicycling, canoeing, kayaking, whale watching, and camping. Nova Scotia has two national Parks and many wonderful oceanside provincial parks to enjoy.
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A stimulating and fun filled conference in a picture-book campus setting, with lots of socializing, thought-provoking streams, a fabulous Maritime kitchen party Saturday night, a moving and spiritual Sunday morning service, and great music. It will be a whale of a good time!
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A food and wine destination: try Halifax’s nationally ranked restaurants, visit Nova Scotia’s winery region with several fine eateries, sample the award winning NS wines including Tidal Bay, Nova Scotia’s unique wine appellation, experience oysters from over forty local producers, eat lobster right from the sea, sample ethnic foods from many cultures.
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Best of all, you will experience that legendary Maritime hospitality. We can’t wait for you to arrive and start having a good time. We’re happy to answer questions on Making Waves or vacation possibilities. Just send an email to MakingWavesHalifax2020@gmail.com
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Have you ever wanted to try singin in a choir?
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Westwood offers an opportunity for its friends and members to enjoy singing together. Even if you have never sung in a choir before, their is an opportunity - every Tuesday evening from 7:15-9:00 PM. Not only do we learn to create beautiful sounds together, but we get friendship and opportunity to enjoy each others zany humour. Talk to Rebecca or any member to learn why Tuesday evening could be a very special part of your week!
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